1. Field of the Invention
The present invention comprises a new and distinct plant of Aruncus, which has been given the name ‘Misty Lace’. The plant is a hybrid between Aruncus dioicus and Aruncus aethusifolius, and bears distinct habit and floral characteristics which differentiate it from existing cultivars. A number of plants which appeared to be hybrids resulting from open pollination of unnamed species plants growing in the proximity were identified by the inventors in 1999 in Monkton, Md., in the garden of Richard Simon. Three plants were selected by the inventors and taken back to the University of Georgia, Athens, Ga. for subsequent morphological description and evaluation under Southeastern environmental conditions. Of the three evaluated for heat tolerance, only one plant remained alive and thrived and this single plant was identified as the new cultivar. The plant will be used primarily as an ornamental perennial. Asexual reproduction of Aruncus ‘Misty Lace’ has been successfully accomplished through tissue culture protocol, developed by Dr. Wetzstein at the University of Georgia. This is the only means known to the inventors to rapidly reproduce this cultivar for commercial introduction. The instant plant has been consistently produced true to type from tissue culture.
2) Description of Relevant Prior Art
Goatsbeard, the common name for the genus, Aruncus, is a well-known genus in ornamental horticulture. Presently, the most common species available commercially is the 1.2-1.8 m common goatsbeard, A. dioicus, followed by the dwarf 0.2-0.3 m tall Korean goatsbeard, A. aethusifolius. The invention is a hybrid between the two, with a plant height of 0.3-0.5 m. ‘Misty Lace’ is distinguished from all other varieties of Aruncus known to the inventors by its plant and leaf size.